Removal of meat from separated sections of the legs of king crab



1965 E, w. GLIDDEN ETAL 3,203,039

REMOVAL OF MEAT FROM SEPARATED SECTIONS OF THE LEGS OF KING CRAB 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed 001;. 1, 1963 INVENTORS ERA 5s?- Z4). 61.mos/v BY 140w C fiisomcxsou gwQ% ATTO NEYS Aug. 1965 E, w. GLIDDEN ETAL3,203,039

REMOVAL OF MEAT FROM SEPARATED SECTIONS OF THE LEGS 0F KING CRAB 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed 001;. l, 1963 FIG 5 INVENTORS Em ssr ll].GuoaEN llovo C Fkwa/cxso'v M q AT TORNiYS United States Patent 6 Claims.(Cl. 17-45) The present application is a division of our co-pendingapplication for Letters Patent of the United States filed Oct. 1, 1963,Ser. No. 313,011. The invention relates to a method for removing meatfrom the legs of king crab, the method being of the squeeze character inwhich a leg which has been severed from the body of the crab is fedbetween a pair of complementing resiliently-faced live rollers solocated and driven in converse directions of rotation as to produce aprogressively narrowing infeed throat leading to a nip.

When a king crab leg is severed from the body of the crab, the legpresents five articulating sections which narrow progressively towardthe tip end, said sections being the coxa, the merus, the carpus, thepropodus, and the dactylus, the coxa being the inner or shoulder sectionand the dactylus being the outer or tip sect-ion. Constricting cartilageseparates these several sections at the joints. Tendons are rooted tosuch cartilage at the outer end of each section and extendlongitudinally therefrom for approximately the full length of thesection through the contained meat.

As practiced prior to the advent of the present invention, theprocessing of king crab legs by application of squeeze pressure theretohas been one in which the whole leg is fed, tip-end first, between thepressure-applying rollers. Progressing compressive pressure of the rollssqueezes the meat from the propodus and dactylus sections into thecarpus section against the meat contained therein, then pushes this meatinto the merus section against the meat of the merus section and fromthe merus section pushes the meat into the shoulder section to issue ininverse order, i.e. coxa, merus, carpus, propodus, dactylus, from theend opening produced when the leg was severed from the body of the crab.Meat from each smaller section of the leg must perforce have traversednot only the length of its own section and a following larger section orsections but must also have been forced to squeeze through theconstricted openings, occurring at the joints, which the cartilageproduces. There is the added problem of having to traverse an angularpath in that the carpus and merus sections normally assume rather asharp angular relationship, one to the other. The merus and the shoulderpiece also normally assume an angular relationship, albeit less sharp.The result of any substantial amount of back pressure upon the meatbeing expelled is that the meat issues in shreds, appreciably reducingthe market value by comparison with that of chunk meat which is ofcourse the looked-for product from the squeeze technique. While a layerof fat surrounds the meat in a king crab leg and is relied upon tolubricate the meat as it is forced along the length of the leg, the fatlayer must be comparatively thick if sufilcient lubrication is to beprovided that the forces to which the meat is subjected will not causethe same to lose its chunk form. King crab taken in the off-season havevery little fat and this condition also obtains even at a prime periodwhen the feeding grounds are poor. Squeeze-processing has not heretoforebeen overly successful in producing any substantial amount of chunk meatexcepting where the crab being processed has considerable fat, and asabove stated this occurs only when the-crab is in prime condition. Thesupply of prime crab which is harvested is inadequate to meet more thana small part of the market which king crab enjoys.

Having in mind the foregoing disadvantages of prior squeeze processesfor removing meat from severed legs of king crabs, employing companionresiliently faced rollers as the agent for producing squeeze pressure,the present invention aims to provide a squeeze process improved in thesense that an optimum amount of the removed meat is in chunk formregardless of whether the concerned crab is or is not in primecondition.

This and other more particular objects and advantages of the inventionwill appear and be understood in the course of the following descriptionand claims, the invention consisting in the advanced method ofprocessing a severed crab leg hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating theconveyor and pressure-roll parts of a machine suitable for practicingthe present process.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end elevation of the pressureroll part viewedfrom the vantage point 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view drawn to anenlarged scale on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged-scale top plan view of a fragmentary part of thefeed conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary schematic plan view of the complete machine toinclude a showing of a cutting sta tion where cuts vital to the presentprocess are made upon crab legs which have been previously severed fromthe body of the crab.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a king crab; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a severed crab leg showing thelocations at which said cuts are made to divide the leg into separatedpieces.

The cuts which the present process makes upon the crab leg separate thelatter into three pieces and are designated by x and y, being preferablymade by a band saw 10 and being located one cut at the large end of themerus section M and one cut at the large end of the carpus section C.These cuts are rather precisely placed so as to lie beyond the free endsof the contained tendons T but short of, albeit close to, the respectivemembrane which occurs at the joint. One piece is comprised largely ofthe coxa or shoulder S, with a bit of the merus section at the smallend. A second piece is comprised largely of the merus section, with abit of the carpus section at the small end. The third piece comprisesthe carpus section together with the propodus P and the dactylus D. Aspreviously pointed out, these latter three sections normally assumealmost an in-line relationship, and the passage-choking membranes whichprovide articulation between the dactylus and propodus and between thepropodus and the carpus are quite thin by comparison with the membraneswhich lie between the carpus and merus and between the merus and coxa soas not to unduly stress crab chunks squeezed through these sections.

In the drawings two operators stations are circled by the letters A andB. It is the function of the operator who occupies station A to make thesaw-cuts upon the crab legs. The cut sections of crab leg are placedfrom the saw table upon the horizontal upper run of an endless conveyorbelt 11, hereinafter termed the supply conveyor. Station B lies at thetail end of the supply conveyor. The operator occupying station Bremoves the leg sections from such supply conveyor and transfers same tothe horizontal upper run of a second endless conveyor 12 hereinaftertermed the feed conveyor. In this transfer the leg sections are soplaced upon the feed conveyor that the leg section generally parallelsthe longitudinal median line of the conveyor, with the large end of theleg section provide ways on which the boxes 34 slide.

(i.e. the end most proximal to the root) facing to the rear. Thelongitudinal median lines of the two conveyors are disposed normal toone another as a convenience to the operator occupying station B.

Along each of its two sides the conveyor 12 has a respective chain 13,and stretched between these chains to occupy positions at equidistantlyspaced intervals of the conveyors length are flights 15, or hammocks asthey will be hereinafter termed. Generally square in plan configuration,these hammocks are mesh and have grommets 16 in each of the four cornersfrom which-diagonal rubber bands 17 extend to hooks 18 which are carriedby the chains. The interstices of the hammock are moderately large, sayA. The hammocks are either rubber or rubber-coated. The length of thehammocks approximates the length of the longest leg sections which areto be carried thereby. The spaces between the hammocks are or may bemoderately longer.

To prescribe the travel path of said feed conveyor the chains aretrained about three sets of transversely spaced apart co-axial sprocketwheels 22, 23 and 24. Sprocket wheels 22 and 23 lie at the head and tailends, respectively, of the conveyors upper run, and in its progressionalong said upper run the chains are constrained to travel along anestablished path by means of a series of guide rails 25, 26 and 27.Guide 25 occupies a generally horizontal plane and extends for thegreater part of the run with its front end sustained by a jack-screw 28'for minor vertical adjustment about a rear pivot 29. Guide 26 extendsforwardly as a prolongation of the guide 25, is carried for endwiseadjustment relative thereto, and has its outer end curved downwardly.The chains ride over the guide rails 25 and 26 and under the guide rail27 which has a curved configuration initially continuing the downwardcurve of the guide 26 and thence bending upwardly on a merging aredeveloped tangent to the sprocket wheels 23 about a center occupying aline which is projected radial to the axis of such sprocket wheels andbiased toward said guided portion of the 'conveyors travel pathapproximately 45 from the vertical.

30 and 31 designate the two resiliently faced companion rolls whichexert squeeze pressure upon crab leg sections carried by the feedconveyor. Roller 30 occupies the space between the two sprocket wheels23, has a diameter corresponding to that of the sprocket wheels, and isfast to a common live spindle 32 so as to turn in unison with thesprocket wheels. Squeeze roller 31 has a similar diameter and is fixedto a live spindle 33 of opposite rotation journaled for rotation aboutan axis lying parallel to that of the spindle 32 on said radiallyprojected line to which the guide 27 is tangent. The nip of the rollsthus faces toward the rear end of the feed conveyor and coincides withthe tail extremity of such guide rails 27.

The journal mounting for the spindle 33 is comprised of boxes 34 mountedfor slide motion toward and from the spindle 32. The boxes are given ayielding setting by bolts 35 and adjusting nuts 36, the nuts bearingagainst thrust washers 37 which bear in turn upon blocks 38 composed ofelastic rubber or other like or suitable resilient material.

Stanchions 4t) rigid with a frame-work 41 which carries journals for thespindle 32 and for shafts 42 and 43 for the two sets of sprocket wheels22 and 24, respectively, An endless chain 44 is trained from a sprocketwheel 45, fast to the spindle 32, over a sprocket wheel 46 fast to thespindle 33 and thence about an adjustably mounted tensioning wheel 47.

An electric motor acts through a chain 48 to drive the force the meatfrom the trailing end. Such meat is in unbroken chunks substantiallyfree of shreds and drops off the after edge of the concerned hammock,falling into a transversely sloped receiving trough 50 which underliesthe squeeze zone. The trough leads laterally to a meathandling station.The empty crushed crab shells pass between the squeeze rolls and aredeposited upon an apron 51 which leads to a refuse conveyor. The legsections are desirably in a chilled condition when the meat is extractedby the pressure of the rolls.

It is thought that the invention will have been clearly understood fromthe foregoing detailed descrptiion. It is important to note that therolls tend to refuse the leg sections as the latter in their travel withthe conveyor are brought into the nip. This is a consequence of therather thick hard shell of a king crab leg, making the shell especiallyresistant to collapse under force of squeeze pressure. Countering thisrefusal, the sharp spines Which occur at comparatively close intervalson the exterior surface of the shell catch in the interstices of themesh hammocks and effectively hold the conveyed leg sectionsagainstkickback. As the shell proceeds with the conveyor through therolls and issues from the back side of the latter the shell travels asteep downward path in course of which the spines dislodge themselvesfrom the interstices and the shell drops free.

What we claim is:

1. The method of extracting meat in chunk form from a king crab leg:comprising severing the leg from the body of the crab in a-mannerretaining the shoulder section upon the leg, then dividing said leg intothree separated pieces by cutting through the leg on two planes whichare each generally transverse to the leg with one of said two planes ofcut being in the merus section of the leg proximate to but spaced fromthe large-end extremity thereof and with the other of said two planes ofcut being in the carpus section of the leg proximate to but spaced fromthe large-end extremity of said carpus section, and subjecting each ofthe separated pieces to yielding compression pressure starting at thesmall end of the piece and progressing therefrom the length of the pieceto cause the chunks of meat contained in each of said pieces to beexpelled through the opening in the large end thereof which, in theinstance of the shoulder piece, was provided by severing the legfrom-the body of the crab and, in the instance of the other two pieces,by said transverse cuts.

2. The method claimed in claim 1 in which the transverse cuts are madeby sawing.

3. The method claimed in claim 1 in which the pieces are in a chilledcondition when subjected to the meat-expelling pressure.

4. The method of extracting meat from a king crab leg having an openingin the large end, comprising depositing the leg, small-end first, upon aconveyor moving along an established path in course of which theconveyor passes between a pair of counter-rotating pressure rollersentering at the nip thereof, and retarding the counter kickback refusalby the rollers of the entering leg through providing positive engagementbetween the spines of the conveyed leg and the conveyed surface.

5. The method of extracting meat in chunk form from the part of a kingcrab leg which includes the dactylus, propodus, and carpus sections:comprising cutting through the part on a plane which is generallytransverse to the carpus section proximate to but spaced from the largeend I extremity thereof and thereby separating the part from the jointwhich connects said part with the merus section and at the same timeproducing an opening in the large end of the carpus section, andsubjecting said part to yielding compression pressure progressing theapproximate length of the part from the small toward the large end tocause the chunk of meat contained in the dactylus, propodus, and carpussections to be expelled through said produced opening.

6. The method of extracting meat in chunk form from the merus section ofa king crab leg: comprising separating said section both from the carpussection and from the joint which connects said merus section with thecoxa section by making two severing cuts one through the merus sectionand the other through the carpus section, the cut made through the merussection being generally transverse to the merus section proximate to butspaced from the large end extremity thereof to produce an opening in thelarge end of the merus section, and subjecting said merus section toyielding compression pressure progressing the approximate length of thesection from the small toward the large end to cause the chunk of meatcontained in the merus section to be expelled through said producedopening.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL KOREN,Primary Examiner.

0 LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Examiner.

4. THE METHOD OF EXTRACTING MEAT FROM A KING CARB LEG HAVING AN OPENINGIN THE LARGE END, COMPRISING DEPOSITING THE LEG, SMALL-END FIRST, UPON ACONVEYOR MOVING ALONG AN EXTABLISHED PATH IN COURSE OF WHICH THECONVEYOR PASSES BETWEEN A PAIR OF COUNTER-ROTATING PRESSURE ROLLERSENTERING AT THE NIP THEREOF, AND RETARDING THE COUNTER